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Asthma, drug medication and noncompliance
1Department of Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Bollettino Chimico Farmaceutico
|December 17, 2002
Summary
Asthma patients demonstrated 86% compliance with pharmacologic therapy, significantly lower than the 14% non-compliance rate reported in literature. Key barriers included adverse drug reactions, cost, and complex drug administration.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Allergy and Immunology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Asthma is a chronic upper airway disease involving mast cells and eosinophils.
- Effective asthma management requires active patient participation, symptom control, and technical treatment skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess patient compliance with pharmacologic therapy for asthma.
- To identify factors influencing treatment adherence in asthma patients.
Main Methods:
- A blind interview study was conducted with 30 asthma patients (19 women, 11 men; mean age 35) at a University hospital clinic.
- Data collected between March 1 and July 31, 1999, focused on adherence to prescribed asthma medications.
Main Results:
- Patient compliance with asthma pharmacologic therapy was 86%.
- The non-compliance rate was 14%, lower than the 20% reported in existing literature.
- Identified reasons for non-compliance included adverse drug reactions (ADRs), high medication costs, and difficult drug application.
Conclusions:
- Asthma patient compliance with pharmacologic therapy is relatively high.
- Addressing ADRs, drug pricing, and administration methods can further improve asthma treatment adherence.